Railway-switch mechanism.



PATBNTED JULY 18, 1905.

H. B. NICHOLS. RAILWAY SWITCH MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16, 1906.

2 SHEETS SBBET 1.

PATENTED JULY 18, 1905;

H. B. NICHOLS. RAILWAY SWITCH MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 10, 1805.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented July 18, 1905.

PATENT OFFICE.

RAILWAY-SWITCH MECHANISM.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 795,159, dated July 18,1905.

Application filed January 16, 1905. Serial No. 241,360.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, HENRY B. NIcHoLs, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inRailway-Switch Mechanism, of which the following is a specification,reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to railway switch mechanism, and has for its objectthe production of a switch which shall be certain in its operation, oflong life as to its operating parts exposed to wear, and unaffected bythe weather, by climate, or by changes in temperature.

In certain types of switches heretofore employed the mechanism of theswitch-lock has been actuated by means of coiled springs usually soplaced that when the switch-tongue was forced past the intermediate orcenter line the actuating-spring would act to force it over the rest ofthe way and would then hold it in position until positively disengaged.I have employed springs of this type in constructing switches, andexperience has shown that the springs are not entirely reliable underall conditions. After use for some time they deteriorate rapidly, and ina large system with many switches this means either a great deal oftrouble some of the time or some trouble a great deal of the time.Nevertheless by immersing the springs in oil and by similar means goodresults have been attained, such a construction being described in otherapplications of my own.

In the present case I have entirely eliminated the spring and have evensucceeded in eliminating any heavy moving bodies capable of causing ashock at successive intervals, which of course conduces to wear. Thebasic principle of the invention is control by gravity and the mode ofapplication is to suspend a balance-weight so that in either of twopositions it exerts pressure on the switch-tongue, while in the third orintermediate position it is in unstable equilibrium, with a tendency tomove over and force a completion of the switch-tongue movement.

More specifically stated, my invention comprises a drop-arm on theswitch-tongue engaged by a pivoted lever swung to and fro as the tongueis moved, together with a pivoted hollow body having enlarged ends and adam in the middle, this body containing a quantity of liquid and beingconnected to the pivoted lever, so as to control its movements. As thebody rests in either extreme position the liquid is all in one end, andits weight holds that end down,the lever over, and the switch-tongue inposition. When the tongue is pushed over, the body tilts and the liquidruns over the dam until the weight acts to depress the other end of thebody with force sufficient to complete the movement of the tongue and tohold it against the rail when reached. Any liquid of comparatively highspecific gravity may be employed, water itself being available, ifdesired. With very heavy switch-tongues it might beadvisable toemploy'mercury; but ordinarily I find a mixture of water and glycerinquite satisfactory, as it is non-freezing and does not soon affect theiron of which the hollow containing-body is preferably formed. Such aswitch-lock can be adjusted so that it will work with great smoothnessand no shock, as the liquid takes a determinate time to pass over itsdam, even after the tilting movement is well commenced, and the effectis cumulative rather than instantaneous, as in the case of a snap-springor rolling weight. Moreover, it is cheap to construct, easy to adjust,very easy to assemble, and as the wearing parts are few and those butlittle exposed the life is long.

My invention is fully illustrated in the accompanying drawings, whereinFigure 1 is a transverse section of aswitch mechanism and lock withtheir inclosing casing, the rails, switch-tongue, and rail-support. Fig.2 is a sideview with the casing removed.

Referring to the drawings, Ais the switchtongue, playing between therails a and a, all resting on a channel-iron or sleeper a, havingoutwardly-extending foot-flanges a and inner foot-flanges-a connected bya circular web transverse of the channel in the support. There are twoof these webs and either two pair of flanges a or continuous flanges ofsufficient length to permit the spacing of the drop-hangers for thereception of the fluidcontainer or flask. These drop-hangers D are inpairs, one pair for each mechanism of the sort herein shown, and eachhanger is bolted to the inner foot-flanges a by its headflange d thelatter connected by a strengthening web or flange (Z to the reinforcedbearing or journal-box (Z, formed in the lower end of the hanger. Thetwo hangers being spaced apart a sufficient distance, the flask E isjournaled with its trunnions e in the bearings 62, so as to swing oroscillate between the hangers and beneath the support a. This flask is ahollow castingsomewhat contracted in the middle and expanded toward eachend, like two frustums of cones joined at their small ends or like asack of grain with a string around it. This figure is so shaped toaccommodate a quantity of liquid F in either end and to provide a dam a,over which the liquid must run to pass from end to end. This dam orbaffle is cast in the flask, being most conveniently formed by theuprising walls on each side of the bottom passing to the top of the webor flange 0 where they join and form the apex 6 To restore the strengthlost through this distortion of the cylindrical figure in the flask, Iprovide flanges or webs joining the end portions of the under walls ofthe flask, as indicated at a These may be of any shape desired. To guardagainst any possibility of the liquid being purposely distributedequally on both sides of the dam 0 so as to balance the flask in anintermediate position, I form the flanges a tubular, so as to make thetwo ends of the flask communicating. By this means in the event of asmall quantity of the liquid being thrown to one side, as by jerking therail slightly toward the center, it will immediately run back throughthe by-pass 6 At each end of the flask, or at least in the end 0 1provide openings 0 into which plugs e are tapped, so as to seal themexcept when the flask is to be filled. For convenience of manufactureadditional openings 0" are provided in the bottom of the flask withtapplugs 0 The box or casing B is formed in two halves dividedlongitudinally at b and is assembled around the parts of the switch-lockandfrom opposite sides of the rail-support a. An extension orcollar-casting 7) surrounds the hand-hole opening, which is closed atthe top by a lid Z). A drainage connection is mabd e at the bottom ofthe casing, as indicated at The method of assembling, adjusting, andoperating this mechanism is as follows: The rail or switch sleeper orsupport a being in position and the connections made, so that theswitch-tongue is ready for operation, the drop-hangers D D are bolted onthe flanges a which brings the lever G into position, with its upper end0 in the slot or crotch a of the hanger a from the tongue A. It will beobserved that this lever O is pivoted on the flanges (Z by means oftrunnions 0, so that the whole flask set may be assembled asa unitbefore applying it to the switch. This is particularly apparentfrom Fig.2, wherein it is plain that the top flanges d of the hangers D may bemade continuous, so as to constitute a frame for the assembling of theparts C, D, and E in the shop before going out on the work. Thelowerends of the levers C, which, as appears in Fig. 2, are made in pairs,like the hangers, engage the ends of the crankspindle 0 This is cast onthe flask with the crank-arms e, the ends of the spindle constitutingwrist-pins extending in opposite directions. The pins play in slotsbetween forked or bifurcated ends of the levers C, reinforced by flanges0 The proportions of the two ends of each lever O are such that thepower applied to the lower end is multiplied, say, three times at theswitch-tongue drop (0 When the parts are assembled as shown in thefigures, the bolts tightened up, and flask turning from side to sidesmoothly, with the pins 0 working in the slots of levers U and the head0 in the slot (0 the flask is filled through the hand-hole if the casinghas been applied, or it may be filled before that; This is done byremoving the plug 0 While the end 6 is down and pouring in the liquiduntil it runs over the edge of the opening 0 This opening is so set thatits edge determines exactly the proper level for the liquid in theflask; so no skill or judgment is required in filling. When no more canbe poured in, the workman screws in the plug, and if the casing has notbeen applied the same is put in place, and the switch is ready foroperation.

In operation when the tongue A is started over by an iron applied fromabove or by any well-known or desired appliance the fork a moves theupper end or lug c of the levers C and swings the flask E in itsbearings. As the end 0 of the flask rises the liquid Fchanges its levelf and commences to run over the dam 6 As the movement of the flaskcontinues the liquid passes over the dam in sufficient quantity toreverse its tendency to move, and the weight continues to settle towardthe end a, with the result that that end is finally carried down withforce and through the levers C forces the switch-tongue hard overagainst the companion rail (0, to which it was started. The operationthroughout is uniform and steady without shock or jerk, and yet it isvery positive. The only parts subject to wear direct are the pins orpintles e trunnions e, bearing-faces of flanges 0 and of head 0, and thepivot ends 0. Of these the only heavy wear is on the parts 0 0 a and 0',and these are so constructed as to resist any ordinary strain and for along time not to show the wear. Moreover, the whole apparatus isselfcompensating in this respect, that no ordinary wear will destroy anyadjustments, and lost motion is of no importance. Even after the pintlesand trunnions are worn, therefore, the apparatus will operate with thesame efficiency as before.

I do not wish to limit myself to the exact details of constructionherein shown and described, as I am aware that they may be variouslychanged and modified without departing from the spirit of the invention;but,

Having described my invention in a convenient and what at this time Iconsider its best embodiment, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is

1. In arailway-switch mechanism, a switch tongue, a device for lockingthe same when moved, and means for controlling the said device throughthe movement of a bodily-movable liquid element.

2. In a switch mechanism, a moving part for switching, a lever movingwith the same to move or be moved by it, and a flask or vesselcontaining liquid and so connected to the lever that movements thereofare accompanied by shifting bodily the'liquid in the flask.

3. In a switch mechanism, a switch-tongue, and a bodily-movable liquidcounterbalance therefor.

4:. A railway-switch mechanism comprising an operating-lever and abodily-movable liquid counterbalance therefor.

5. A railwayrswitch comprising a switchtongue, a drop member thereon, anoperatinglever engaging the drop member, a pivoted flask engaging thelever, and a body of liquid in said flask.

6. In a railway-switch mechanism the combination of the followinginstrumentalities: a

support or sleeper, rails and a switch-tongue carried thereon, adropmember for the switchtongue, an operating-lever engaging the dropmember, and a liquid-containing flask connected to the lever to controlits movements.

7. In a railway-switch mechanism the combination of the followinginstrumentalities: a sleeper or support, rails and a switch-tonguecarried thereon, drop -hangers also carried thereon, a tilting flaskcarried on trunnions journaled in the said drop-hangers, a leverjournaled to oscillate with one end engaging the switch-tongue and theother engaging the flask, and a body or liquid in the flask.

8. In a liquid counterbalance a hollow vessel or flask, a tilting centerfor said vessel, and an opening for filling the same, the said openingso located that when the vessel is tilted into one extreme position thelevel of the opening will determine the level of the liquid.

9. In a liquid counterbalance for switches and the like, a flask, and anopeningtherein so located as to be below the level of the dam or bafliein the flask when the latter is in position for filling, the level ofthe opening determining the operative level of the liquid.

10. A switch comprising a switchtongue, a drop member thereon, meansengaging said member, a pivoted flask connected to said means anddivided into compartments, abodily-movable element in said flaskcomprising a liquid, retarding means for said liquid and means to draineither of said compartments.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

HENRY B. NICHOLS.

Witnesses:

WM. S. TWINING, CLARKE S. TERHUNE.

